Bonneville Speed Week - PICS and video!

[MinisterofDOOM]

My dad and brother and I headed out to the Bonneville Salt Flats today for day 6 of Speed Week. We spent most of the day watching runs from various points on the tracks.

There were a lot of interesting cars, not all of which were there to race. There were a LOT of rat rods, plenty of hotrods, lots of vintage motorcycles, and hordes of support trucks.

The salt was dry and the driving surface was excellent--better, in fact, than many asphalt roads I've driven on. If you strayed from the prepared (graded) areas, there was more crusting on top, but even then it was very drivable.

One of the coolest aspects of Speed Week is that spectators are allowed pretty much anywhere but on the track after the start line. I spent a lot of my time at the start line/staging area standing right next to the cars that were racing. I heard some of the best sounds I've ever heard in my life, and saw some very cool cars and bikes.

Videos are going up now. Links here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8trKByYdr4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUxgVwd5JNI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLCbCInC7dw

So, now for the pics:

I'll start off with this unusual 240z:



I didn't get a chance to find out much about it, but according to writing on the hood it is the world's fastest 3-cylinder car. It certainly sounded like a 3-banger. But it was also fast.

Straight out of Akira:



It sounded fantastic.



Tasty


This Jag is a contender for most awesome car at the show. Buick-powered and mean-looking...sadly I didn't get to see it run. The Wagoneer next to it actually had matching quad Buick fender ports.



FWD...halfshafts are missing for some reason. Really neat looking car, with an unusual layout (and not just the drivetrain...just look at the thing).



This T-bird was a monster. The blower is FRICKING HUGE. The engine is well behind the front axle, with the driver sitting way back in the car (the steering wheel sat about even with the rear of the doorframe). I have video of it running which I'll upload in a bit.


This was fast as hell and one of the best sounding cars at the show.

Monza:



Karmann Ghia!


This one's for Greg:




4.3 Vortec V6. Weird.


C4. Oh yeah.

BAD a** Saab






This pickup was absolutely beautiful.


Both of these rocked hard.






Watched this 'Busa run earlier in the day. Headed back to the staging area later and heard a bad noise. Turned around to see it lying on its side, with a loading ramp kicked sideways and a guy bleeding. Didn't seem to sustain even paint damage, and it ran again shortly after. I think they were the same bike, at any rate; there were multiple Hayabusas running.


Yeah...might as well swap in the bigger one.



Time for more bikes now.


NOT SHOTGUN!


Seats are for p******. Note the having of more than two wheels.


Handlebars need more low.


I have NO IDEA. All I know is I want one.

And some of my car. I have washed and de-salted it thoroughly. It didn't get nearly as salty as I expected until I left the prepared "roadways" for the un-graded salt. That salt was still moist and clung to the car more, but as you can see in the underbody pics, things still stayed pretty clean outside the wheel wells.









And, finally, a few shots of the salt flats themselves.


(I strategically [and mspaintfully] photochopped a portasquatter and a Hyundai Sonata out of this one for the sake of improvement)

MILES of trailers, cars, trucks, whatever people drove.

And I think that's it. The few pics I didn't embed here can be seen in my photobucket album here:
http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e103/ ... ek%202010/

[sx moneypit]

Great pics M.O.D. I have always wanted to go to Bonneville. It is on my bucket list along with Pikes Peak and the 24hrs of Le Mans.

[drksolest]

Me likey!

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

All you need is a Major Tom cover playing in the background and that pic would be complete.

[Mr1der]

for real. I wanna go out there sometime...and take something stock I can hit 150 in.

it's just a surreal looking place.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

All you need is a Major Tom cover playing in the background and that pic would be complete.

Great pics MOD. I'll have to check that place out some day. Reminds me of that movie "The World's Fastest Indian". The places where dreams come true. America has so much cool s***.

[OriginalWheelman]

Looks like an awesome time. This on on my "must do once before I die" list.

One thing though,

4.3 Vortec V6. Weird.

I have to disagree. The point of a rat rod is you make it go with whatever you have lying around. Ford's with chevy engines, actual bucket seats, etc, anything goes.

[Jesda]

The Lincoln looks amazing on white sand. One day I need to go back when there's an event. Last time I was there it was completely empty, which was kind of cool in its own way.